FAKE Stupid Sakura
by Kawaii-Neko-No-Miko
Summary: The cast of FAKE plus Sakura face murder and a holdup. This fic is one of four in a series. Technically it is meant to be read in the following order: Stupid Sakura, No More Games, How Could I?, and Now That You’re Mine. But they make sense read alone.
1. Unlikely

FAKE Stupid Sakura!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own, claim to own, or dream about owning the cast of FAKE. Ryo, Dee, Carol, Drake, JJ, Bikky, Commissioner Rose, and anyone else I forgot to mention are the property of Sanami Matoh and such. Sadamoto Sakura is mine, though.  
  
So! – Here begins the story! I didn't have any plans as to where the story was going when I started it. It wrote itself as I went along. There used to be seven chapters, but only these two had anything to do with Sakura. The other five chapters are now separated into three independent stories, without Sakura. And I think prepositions are the best things to end a sentence with. The crappy grammar isn't the product of careless mistakes; it's included to add to the style. I sound really pretentious, don't I? I'm really not. Wait, that makes me sound even more pretentious. Oops.  
  
Chapter 1 Unlikely  
  
"Mornin'." Dee yawned as he walked, late again, into the 27th precinct.  
  
"Weren't you supposed to be here ten minutes ago?" Ryo shot a partly disapproving, partly amused glance at his partner. At least Dee was dependable – Ryo could depend on him to be late and then cause a lot of paperwork, which he would leave for Ryo to do.  
  
Dee shrugged. "Well, unless I missed a coup or a party, I'm not real concerned."  
  
Ryo sighed. "Commissioner Rose wanted to see us. It sounded important, so I don't think he's going to be happy with you."  
  
"Whatever." Typical Dee behavior. Ryo sighed again and walked off to the commissioner's office. Dee followed. What's the worst Rose could do, anyway?  
  
Ryo knocked softly on Rose's office door. The commissioner barked gruffly that the pair was to enter. He looked up briefly as they entered, then returned his gaze to the report on his desk. Ryo spoke on behalf of his irresponsible partner before Dee could get them in even more trouble. "I'm sorry, Commissioner, Dee was a bit behind schedule. You wanted to see us?"  
  
Rose looked up from the paperwork that was distracting him. "Yes, I wanted to see you ten minutes ago. Dee, if you don't get your act together, I'm going to have to reassign you to a different partner. I'm sure JJ would be thrilled to work with you..."  
  
"What? You just want to take my Ryo away!" Dee had a suspicion that Commissioner Rose had eyes for his Ryo, and he wasn't giving up that easy.  
  
"Then perhaps, Dee, you'll make an effort to be timelier. I wanted to see you two because I'm assigning you to a murder that took place half an hour ago nearby. A middle-aged couple was shot to death, and their daughter seems to be the most likely suspect. There are already a few officers on the scene, and I want you detectives there on the double. This should be an open and shut case, so don't screw it up."  
  
"We're on it, Commissioner," Ryo replied. Turning to Dee, he said, "Now wake up and let's go!"  
  
The pair got in Ryo's car and headed to the victims' apartment. Ryo was unusually quiet on the drive there. He hated cases like this. His parents had been murdered, so he understood the pain of loosing one's parents. When he had to deal with a case where a child had murdered their parents, he never failed to be amazed. He'd have given anything not to have lost his parents, and kids like this suspect actually got rid of their parents themselves! He would never understand it. Dee resisted the urge to bug his partner; he understood that Ryo was really upset by this type of case.  
  
The pair entered the apartment to find a bloody and horrifying scene. The couple had been in their business clothes, walking into the living room carrying cups of coffee when they were shot, twice each, in the chest. They'd fallen next to each other, the wife partly on top of her husband as though she'd been walking slightly ahead of him. Their daughter, Sakura Sadamoto, had begged not to be forced out of the apartment. She was in tears, sitting with her head in her hands on the couch. Several officers were on the scene, ensuring that she didn't try to bolt. After all, Sakura was the only suspect in the case. The detectives asked the officers what they knew about the crime.  
  
There was no sign of forced entry. The gun apparently used in the murder was thrown in a corner of the room. A small pair of leather gloves was thrown on the floor in the middle of the room. Sakura had made the phone call to the police herself, crying hysterically, minutes after her parents' murder. All the evidence pointed to her. It seemed that she had donned the glove to prevent fingerprint evidence. The neighbors had told the police that her parents kept a gun for protection loaded in the kitchen pantry, and she'd obviously gotten hold of the gun, shot her parents, then broken down and basically turned herself in. Her current state of tears could be an act, or she could have truly disassociated herself from the act. The detectives had seen this situation before. As far as they could tell, Sakura had planned the murder, committed the crime, and then realized that she couldn't face the horror of what she had done. She'd temporarily blocked the memory of killing her parents and truly believed in her innocence. How sad.  
  
Although this seemed to be a simple case with all the evidence for conviction, the detectives still felt obligated to keep an open mind. It seemed highly unlikely, but Sakura really could be innocent. They'd seen some strange things in their tenure at the 27th, and it was always possible that this girl had been set up. Of course, they believed no such thing. Ryo walked over to the couch and crouched down in front of the sobbing girl. "Miss Sadamoto?"  
  
She looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. Blood stained her shirt, as though she'd hugged her mother as she lay bleeding on the floor. "I'd much prefer it if you'd call me just Sadamoto, please, sir." Ryo nodded. "I know you think I killed my parents, but..." She trailed off, sobbing.  
  
"It certainly looks that was, Sadamoto-san." He felt that she'd feel more comfortable speaking with him if he addressed her with respect and used the honorifics of her culture. Judging by the décor of her home and her lack of an accent, she was the first generation of her family to be born in the US, and her parents had been very traditional. Her request to be referred to only by her last name gave credence to that theory. "I understand that this is difficult for you. However...you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Should you choose to..." With that, he recited to her the Miranda Rights. She didn't resist as he cuffed her and led her out to one of the police cars. She merely cried and mumbled incoherently something about a friend and a carpool.  
  
Back at the station, Dee and Ryo took her into an interrogation room. She'd finally stopped crying. She sat quietly, staring into space as though she was lost. Ryo sighed for what seemed like the millionth time that day. She really did act like the distraught child of murder victims. Nothing about her screamed or even whispered 'murderer'. Still, there was no denying that she was the one and only suspect. When this case went to trial, she was sure to be locked up for a long time based on the evidence at the scene. If they could get a confession, of course, things would go a lot more smoothly. Dee started to speak, but Ryo hushed him. Dee was good at intimidating petty criminals into confessions, but his big mouth would only make this apparently frightened girl clam up.  
  
Ryo spoke to the suspect instead. "Sadamoto Sakura?" She looked up at him and seemed a bit startled. "I'm Detective Randy Maclean; my partner Detective Dee Laytner and I will be conducting the investigation into your parents' murder. To begin, would you please tell us your name and date of birth?"  
  
"My name, as you have said, is Sakura Sadamoto, though I prefer to be addressed as Sadamoto Sakura. My date of birth is June 23, 1987." Just sixteen years old, still a kid, and already on her way to the big house for murder one. What a shame. Ryo filled this out on the paperwork, and then filled in eye color, dark brown, and hair color, black. He was momentarily distracted by her hair. It was incredibly beautiful; it hung to her waist, but the top half was pulled up into a knot secured with beaded flower hairpins. Ryo silently chided himself for allowing himself to be distracted. Dee filled in the silence.  
  
"Height and weight?" he asked curtly.  
  
"Five feet, two inches. One hundred and four pounds." She answered absently, seemingly distracted by the ceiling lights. Ryo was beginning to be upset by this case. This girl was the either the best actress he'd ever seen or truly convinced of her innocence.  
  
Ryo retook control of the questioning. "Thank you. Now, you understand the circumstances of your parents' murder. The gun that we understand was kept in the pantry was found in the corner of the room in which your parents were found. There is evidence of the gun having been recently fired. Leather gloves were found on the floor, and it can be presumed that they were worn by whoever fired the gun so no fingerprints would be left. Finally, there are no signs of forced entry. The killer was welcomed into the home. Do you have anything to say in your defense, or would you confess in exchange for a reduced sentence? I'm sure we could work a deal."  
  
Both detectives expected for her to ask for a lawyer. The neighbors had labeled her as an intelligent girl, and she had stated that she fully understood her rights. Instead, she burst into tears. "It was Jamie! I swear! I let him in; he was picking me up for the carpool, and..." She trailed off. It sounded like she might have said more, but it was inaudible. After several minutes of crying, she sniffled and calmed down a bit. Ryo offered her a few tissues. She wiped her eyes, blew her nose, and sniffled a few more times before she began to speak again. "He wasn't himself. He must have been doing dust again. He pushed his way past me and said he was just going to the kitchen to see if I had any Pop Tarts around because he'd run out. My parents were in their bedroom, and they didn't hear him come in. I didn't want to argue, because Jamie's scary when he's mad. So I didn't follow him. I went in the bathroom to grab my compact, and when I went into the kitchen, Jamie wasn't there. My parents walked in, and they asked why I looked as though I'd seen a ghost. I told them Jamie'd come in to get me for the carpool, and he was acting funny. They hadn't even seen him. I went out into the living room, and he was sitting on the couch muttering. He had his hands in his pockets. I didn't see anything weird, but I was freaked out by the way he was acting. So I said to him, 'Hey why don't we get going?' He started screaming at me, swearing. He yelled, 'Shut up, bitch! I ain't gonna listen to you!' My parents heard him, and they came out into the living room. They asked what was going on, and he pulled the gun out of his pocket. He shot them both before they knew what was coming. My God, he..." Again, she broke down in tears. She spoke softly as she cried. "I didn't know what to do. He pointed the gun at me, said he'd kill me if I moved. I was so frightened. He threw the gun in the corner, but I knew he could get it back before I could move an inch. He took off his gloves and threw them on the floor. I hadn't thought anything about it when he came in wearing them, since it's been so cold. Then he just ran out the door. I went to my parents and checked to see if I could help them, but they didn't have pulses. And I just cried and cried...I hugged my mother, I didn't want to believe she was gone, but...I couldn't do anything. I called 911, and now you think I did it! I didn't, I swear, I..."  
  
Ryo was deeply disturbed. She had been very convincing. However, her story was as wildly unlikely as it was possible. Dee was rather surprised himself. He was inclined to believe that she was a particularly talented actress who'd thrown together a cover story after she'd snapped and offed the parental units. Still, he couldn't help feeling that the story she told could be true. Ryo thought for a moment before he said anything. "All right then. If you can give me the names of all members of the carpool, I can have them brought here to be questioned to see if your story has truth to it." She gave the names of the usual driver and members of group. Ryo wrote them down, then motioned to Dee to leave the room with him. They called the school and arranged to have all members of the carpool transported to the station. They got a clean shirt for Sadamoto, then locked her in the precinct's holding pen. They gave the pickpocket who was already in there a stern warning to leave her alone, and left her to sob quietly in the corner.  
  
Four people were brought in. After being assured that they were not under investigation or in any trouble, the driver and two passengers said that yes, Jaime had been high on angel dust when they picked him up and he had run up to Sadamoto's apartment when they parked. They said they hadn't gone after him because they knew he really cared for Sadamoto and they didn't think he'd ever hurt her. They said that when he came back downstairs, he told them that she was sick and they'd better hurry up so they wouldn't be late for school. They'd believed him and left without Sadamoto. Suddenly Sadamoto's story seemed a lot more plausible. Ryo and Dee brought Jamie into an interrogation room, making sure that he saw his friend sitting in the pen on the way there. He looked terrified. Dee cut Ryo off before he could speak. This case rubbed him the wrong way, and he wanted to make sure they got this punk if the story was true.  
  
Dee decided that a little lie never hurt if he wanted this kid to talk. If his friends were telling the truth, he loved Sadamoto more than life itself. Perhaps he'd turn himself in to save her. "Well, Jamie, I guess you've heard by now that we took your pal in this morning for killing her parents. Real shame, a promising young thing like that gonna be put down like a dog."  
  
Jamie looked ready to cry. "What you mean by 'put down like a dog'?"  
  
Dee almost smiled. It looked like this kid really did care about the girl. "The needle, kid. As in death penalty. The evidence is all there. When she goes to trial, Sadamoto's definitely going to be convicted. There's no two ways about it." Jamie began to cry. Dee stared at him. "What's the matter, tough guy? She's a killer. Doesn't she deserve it? That's the way it works! Kill your parents and the government kills you. Double homicide is serious business." Jamie started to sob. Dee looked at his watch. It wasn't even ten a.m. yet and he'd interrogated two crybabies already. "What, kid?"  
  
The sobbing young man immediately made this the pair's easiest case ever. "I – I did it! I killed her parents, man! You can't kill her for my shit! I was high, man! I didn't mean to!"  
  
In less than five minutes, they had a signed confession from Jamie. Sadamoto Sakura's name was clear. Ryo went to the pen, let her out, and told her the good news. Not surprisingly, she broke down into tears. She happened to be an extremely emotional young woman. When she was finished crying, Dee asked if there was a relative she could call and stay with. She sniffled. "No, Detective Laytner, there isn't. I have no relatives in this country, and no close friends of the family. However, I can take care of myself. This country has emancipation of minors, yes? Perhaps I could look into that somehow. Until then, I can take care of myself."  
  
Dee stared at her. Was she crazy? He wasn't much of one for kids, but he couldn't imagine letting this kid be on her own after suffering such a tragic loss and trauma. "That doesn't seem like a good idea..."  
  
"I could take you in for a while, if you like." Dee shot an evil if- looks-could-kill glare at Ryo. Him and his big mouth! If Ryo took in another kid in addition to Bikky, that would be one more hindrance to his master plan for getting his Ryo! Sadamoto looked up, surprised.  
  
"Pardon, sir?" Had this stranger just offered her a home?  
  
Ryo spoke almost too quickly to be understood. "I can offer you a home. I know it seems strange, but I actually took in a kid in your situation a few years back; his name's Bikky. You're going to lose the apartment. Even if the lease was willed to you, the landlord will throw you out because you're a minor. Where else do you have to go? I'm a cop, so you can rest assured that you can trust me. I'm not some weird pervert or something. You can ask Bikky; I'm like the older brother you don't have and probably never wanted."  
  
Sadamoto blinked and stared. She thought for a while. "I...don't seem to have much choice, do I? I cannot imagine how to repay your generosity..."  
  
Ryo cut her off in mid sentence. "Don't worry too much about it."  
  
Dee stewed silently. WHY did things just get worse and worse? Now he'd NEVER get anywhere near Ryo! With two kids around, someone would always be in the way of his advances towards his partner. Stupid Sakura!  
  
Too bad for Dee, Sadamoto Sakura moved in with Ryo that evening. For once Dee and Bikky had something to agree on. Sadamoto wasn't welcome. Bikky saw her as nothing but competition for time and attention. Of course, unlike Dee, he felt sorry for her and kept quiet around her and Ryo. Dee was less well mannered. In front of Sadamoto, he whined to Dee, "Hey, you better not let her get in the way like Bikky does! I'm gonna get some quality alone time with you one of these days and..."  
  
"Ah, shut up," Bikky cut in. That's a freakin' good thing, having someone else around to keep you off my Ryo!"  
  
"Damn you..." Dee muttered as he stormed out the door. C'est la vie.  
  
Continued in Chapter 2... 


	2. Felt This Way Before

FAKE Stupid Sakura!  
  
Chapter 2 Felt This Way Before  
  
Six months passed with little incident in Ryo's busy household. Bikky had grown to like Sakura, and they were finally on speaking terms and a first-name basis. They usually made it through the day without killing each other. This obviously wasn't going to be one of those days.  
  
"Ryo!" Sakura shouted. It had taken a while to get her to call Ryo by his preferred name; for several weeks, she had insisted on calling him Detective Maclean. Now they acted like she'd been there forever. "Ryo!" she shouted again.  
  
"What?" With a toothbrush in hand, Ryo wandered into the kitchen to prevent the potential catastrophe. Bikky was clutching a box of cereal and laughing. Sakura was holding the carton of milk, and she looked furious. Ryo sighed. These two seemed to cause him to do that far too often. "What is it this time?"  
  
Bikky tattled like a four year old. "Sakura won't give me the milk for the cereal."  
  
"Well, Bikky's gonna finish the box and then I won't get any!" Sakura whined.  
  
"So? I got here first." Bikky emphasized this last remark by sticking his tongue out at her.  
  
Ryo shrugged. "First come, first serve. Sakura, why don't you just get some Chex from the closet and stop fighting Bikky for the Corn Pops?"  
  
"Because I HATE CHEX!" Sakura yelled.  
  
Ryo shrugged again. "Sorry, you're gonna have to work it out yourself. Don't make me late for work, and don't the two of you be late for work either."  
  
"But Ryo...how am I supposed to work on an empty stomach?"  
  
"Then eat the damn Chex!" Ryo had finally gotten frustrated. Deep breath. Sure, the kids were annoying, and of course, he expected more maturity from a seventeen-year-old and a thirteen-year-old, but they were good kids. "Tell you what, Sakura. I'll get you a few boxes of Corn Pops for your birthday tomorrow. Now eat the Chex, share, or do without. Whatever you decide, give Bikky the milk and both of you knock it off."  
  
Sakura rolled her eyes, slammed the milk on the table, and huffed off to the cabinet to find the Chex. Ryo chuckled and headed back to the bathroom to brush his teeth and get ready for work. At least the kids kept him occupied. Besides, they were almost grown up. They'd be moving on to bigger and better things soon enough, and then he'd have the peace and quiet he'd almost forgotten he ever had. He didn't regret taking in the orphaned kids; they were his family and he loved them. He just couldn't always deal with the trouble they caused. It had taken Bikky years to straighten out from a full-time street punk in to a reasonably well behaved young man. Sakura could get rather whiny (even more so than Bikky!), but she was friendly, sweet, a wonderful conversationalist, and a great help around the house. He wouldn't have traded this kind of life for anything. He just vaguely looked forward to having a quiet and (a shouting match can be heard in the background) peaceful apartment once again.  
  
Ryo pushed the still fighting pair out the door as he headed to work. Hopefully they wouldn't have a fistfight on their walk to the bakery where they worked together. He didn't have time to worry about that now; he was going to be late for work himself if he didn't hurry up.  
  
Ryo rushed into the 27th precinct, just barely arriving on time. Dee smiled. "Hey, Ryo. Isn't it my job to be late?"  
  
Ryo plunked down in a chair. "It's been a tough morning, okay? Those two were at it again. Fighting over cereal. Can you believe them?"  
  
Dee made a funny snorting sound with his nose. "I told you all along that those kids were trouble. But nooo, don't believe Dee, he's no good for advice."  
  
Ryo made a rather similar snorting sound, but with a bit more of a whistling, blowing noise. "You just don't like it because you can't try and put the moves on me when they're around. You couldn't care less if they make my mornings hell!"  
  
"Technically...that's true," Dee conceded.  
  
"I've got you all figured out." Ryo smiled. "Well, I don't have to worry about them right now, since they're off at work killing each other instead of in my kitchen doing likewise."  
  
"Right. So, what's on the menu for today?"  
  
Ryo sighed. "Paperwork to straighten out your, shall we say, antics yesterday. As usual."  
  
"Sorry?" Dee didn't really concern himself with all the trouble he made, and he never felt much remorse for sticking his partner with the paperwork. Besides, Ryo was used to it. They spent a few hours working on the paperwork, then got chewed out for half an hour by Commissioner Berkley Rose. As the pair exited Rose's office, Ryo started to give Dee a hard time about all the trouble he put him through. Ryo had barely gotten a sentence out before Bikky's friend Carol ran into the station. She was hysterical as she ran up to Ryo and Dee.  
  
Ryo placed a hand on her shoulder and lifted her chin to make her look him in the eyes. "Carol, can you tell me what happened?"  
  
She nodded. "It—it's Bikky! The bakery is being robbed! I was on my way to visit Bikky at work and these guys wearing ski masks went in! They pulled guns and they're robbing the place! But Bikky's not giving them the cash, so they're probably still there!"  
  
"Shit!" Ryo muttered. "Drake!"  
  
"What? Drake looked up from a stack of paperwork on his desk. "You need something?"  
  
"Yes! Holdup at Tasty Pastry Bakery! Get a team on it or something! Ryo shouted as he ran out the door with Dee right behind.  
  
Ryo drove dangerously faster than the speed limit to the bakery. He somehow managed a reasonable parallel parking job across the street and looked in through the door, which for some reason was open. One of the masked robbers was holding Sakura from behind and waving a gun in her face. It looked like Bikky was backed into a corner by two other guys holding up guns. Ryo swore profusely under his breath. There wasn't anything helpful he or Dee could do. If they interfered, they would probably get Bikky and Sakura killed. All they could do was watch helplessly while waiting for police negotiators to show up. Ryo turned away when he saw Sakura start to cry and heard Bikky start yelling at the guy holding her. Watching it wasn't going to help anyone. Dee didn't feel as emotionally attached to the situation as Ryo did, but he couldn't help but be upset when Ryo was.  
  
Police negotiators arrived shortly, as did Commissioner Rose and several police snipers. Ryo known for his excellent marksmanship was asked to take his place as a sniper. Dee was given stern orders to stay out of the way. His itchy trigger finger was well known amongst members of the 27th precinct. Negotiations didn't go well. The robbers weren't particularly interested in money, which explains why they'd robbed a bakery and not a more lucrative business. They actually just wanted to cause as much of a scene as possible before killing the bakery clerks – namely, Sakura and Bikky. The negotiators were getting nowhere. The snipers were poised with the robbers in their crosshairs. The robbers continued to shout and wave their weapons, informing the cops that they didn't feel like talking to a bunch of "donut-eating morons." Things went from really bad to extremely bad when the apparent leader of the robbers cocked his gun and aimed for Sakura. One of the snipers fired as the leader pulled the trigger. The sniper hit the floor stone dead. Ryo gasped as Sakura, too, hit the floor. One of the other robbers raised his gun to shoot Bikky, and found himself dead before he could think about firing. The other two took a good look at their pals, dropped their weapons, and surrendered.  
  
The police rushed in immediately. Bikky, who had been too stunned to move, was pushed out by one of the officers. Ryo, his eyes tearing up, ran towards Sakura. Dee grabbed his arm and stopped him. Ryo screamed, "What the hell, Dee? Let go!"  
  
Dee gave him a look that expressed his pain well. "If she's dead...do you really want to see that?"  
  
Ryo dropped his shoulders and hung his head, the obvious body language of admitted defeat. Dee let him go. Ryo immediately turned and darted to Sakura's side. The defeated look had been a clever act, and Dee had been a fool to fall for it. It would be even more foolish to try to stop him again. Ryo took a deep breath and knelt down beside Sakura, afraid of what he might see. Hm. She didn't seem to be bleeding or injured at all. Dee noticed this as well as he walked up behind his partner.  
  
"Hey, Ryo, look at the wall behind where she was standing." Ryo did as Dee instructed. "He hit the wall I'd say a foot from her head. I'll place my bet that she was so scared she passed out."  
  
Ryo heaved a sigh of relief. As he brushed Sakura's hair out of her face, she whimpered and twitched. She blinked at him and muttered something to the effect of what the expletive. Ryo was so overjoyed he was speechless. He hadn't realized how much she meant to him until he had to face the thought of losing her. Thank God she wasn't hurt.  
  
After Ryo was sure Sakura wasn't going to have a nervous breakdown and had assured her that Bikky was fine, he left her in Dee's almost capable hands and went to check on Bikky. He was sitting on a curb nearby anxiously waiting for someone to tell him what was up. He got up and nearly ran to Ryo when he saw him coming. "Ryo! Is Sakura – is she okay?" He'd been too shocked to look at her after he heard her hit the floor, so he had no idea what had really happened.  
  
Ryo smiled. "She just fainted. She must have been terrified, and some people pass out when they are terribly frightened. Everything's fine, don't worry. She was worried about you, ya know. She absolutely grilled me to find out if you were okay."  
  
Bikky tilted his head slightly to the left. "Really? That's...different."  
  
After having spent a good part of the day panicking and stressed out, Ryo, Bikky, and Sakura headed home. Dee drove, just in case one of them suddenly snapped and lost it. Like that was likely. And, – in everyone's best interests, of course, – Dee walked them in to their apartment.  
  
Dee sighed. He hadn't had much alone time with Ryo lately. Sakura and Bikky both immediately decided that the day would be greatly improved by sleep. Sakura headed off into the room that had been Bikky's until Ryo had declared it hers. Bikky lay on the couch without bothering to search for pj's in the closet he had to share with Sakura. For the moment, he didn't care about anything other than sleep. That had the potential for a disaster – Bikky was often the only thing that protected Ryo from Dee's advances.  
  
Ryo smiled at Dee. He spoke to him while walking into his room. "Thanks for being so concerned about everything."  
  
Anyone else would have taken Ryo's actions as a cue to leave, but Dee was too stubborn for that. He followed Ryo into the room. "Hey, Ryo..."  
  
Ryo answered him distractedly. "Hm? What is it?"  
  
Dee was getting uncharacteristically uncomfortable. He was always jealous over something, but this seemed farfetched even to him. "You sure are taken with Sakura these days, aren't you?"  
  
Ryo gave him the must puzzled and amused look he could. "Taken?" he said with a laugh. "Are you kidding? She's a seventeen-year-old kid! What do you take me for?" The words coming from his mouth didn't quite match the thoughts in his head. In fact, he did almost have feelings for her that were a little too much and he therefore ignored. When the hell did Dee get so damn insightful, anyway? "Don't be ridiculous, Dee. I'm gonna get some sleep, so why don't you just forget it?"  
  
"Don't dismiss me like that!" Dee smacked his hand against the wall on either side of Ryo's shoulders. If there was one thing Dee couldn't stand, it was JJ. Of course, if there were two things he couldn't stand, the other was being dismissed. He was yelling in Ryo's face as he continued speaking. "Dammit, I'm not fricken crazy! If I think you have a thing for Sakura, it's probably true!" Ryo didn't say anything for a moment. And of course, in typical Dee style, he went in for a move. Ryo saw the kiss coming, but he didn't try to do anything about it. He never did. Maybe it was time to admit to himself that he liked it...no. When Dee was satisfied, he turned his back on Ryo abruptly and walked out of the room. He called over his shoulder, "It's not like I have anything to worry about; she's not legal anyway." With that, he walked out of the apartment.  
  
Ryo sighed. Why couldn't anything in life be simple? And just why did he feel so strongly about this girl he'd only known for sixth months? The fact that she was underage just made him all the more disgusted with himself. He'd never felt this way before. He couldn't tell if his emotions were romantic or just silly. How could he be such a perv? He pushed any thoughts of Sakura out of his mind. He knew what it felt like to have romantic feelings – he was reminded every time he saw Dee. He decided that the next time it came up, he'd tell Dee about his true feelings. For years, he'd been teasing the poor guy. Now was the time to get his feelings out in the open. With that determined, Ryo finally lay down to get some sleep.  
  
On the other side of the bedroom closet, Sakura couldn't fall asleep. She hadn't heard the pair next door's conversation, but her thoughts were on a similar subject. Did she have a thing for Ryo? Her boyfriend of three months would be none too pleased to hear such a thing! Besides, he was way too old for her. She was no Lolita. No way. Clearly, her feelings were just a silly crush that meant nothing. Pushing the thought from her mind, Sakura drifted off to sleep.  
  
And Bikky, fast asleep in the living room, was blissfully unaware of all the drama. 


End file.
